France, but not as we know it
Les Bleus will play home games away from Paris for the first time in the championship: against Ireland in Marseille this Friday, Italy in Lille on 25 February and England in Lyon on 16 March, the final weekend. Spreading the rugby word outside capital cities is surely A Good Thing – particularly in view of frequent complaints across the Channel regarding the Rugby Football Union’s attachment to Twickenham and its revenue-generating power. France’s move is necessitated by construction work taking place at Stade de France to prepare the venue for the Olympic Games this summer, and the French Rugby Federation’s bottom line will take a hit, but perhaps Fabien Galthié’s team will be glad to swerve the scene of their World Cup elimination. The same may be said for Ireland, who also bowed out in Paris on that memorable quarter-final weekend.
Instrumented mouthguard technology
You may not be able to see them, given their designated place in players’ mouths. But new instrumented mouthguard technology represents the latest attempt to mitigate the risk of brain injury – and it may have a noticeable effect. Mandated since the start of 2024, the idea is for the technology to to be incorporated into the existing head injury assessment protocol, with the mandatory custom-fitted devices delivering in-game alerts to medical staff. The announcement in January by the Six Nations stated: “In the eventuality that a player experiences a head acceleration event the match day medical staff will receive an alert.” Will it make much difference in practice? Possibly not. Will it bring the debate, controversy and/or scandal surrounding brain injury to a satisfactory and neat conclusion? Definitely not.
Davidson’s historic day
Hollie Davidson will make history on the tournament’s second weekend: the 31-year-old will become the first female referee to officiate in a Six Nations match as the second assistant for England v Wales on 10 February. “It is a huge honour to be named as one of the assistant referees for the 2024 Guinness Six Nations,” the 31-year-old said. After Wayne Barnes, among others, revealed the stresses of top-level refereeing it must be hoped it proves a positive experience for Davidson. “Being the first female official in Scotland to do so is something I’m immensely proud of,” she said. “To be involved in such an internationally renowned fixture is something I’m massively looking forward to.” Perhaps the only question that remains is why it’s taken so long.
Absent friends
Plenty of big names will be missing. England’s back three, for instance, will be displaying a Henry Arundell-shaped hole after one of the most destructive runners in the game committed his immediate future to Racing 92, making himself ineligible for England. Wales have lost Louis Rees-Zammit as he pursues his NFL dream while Ireland are rebuilding without the retired Johnny Sexton. Another team captain, Owen Farrell, had announced his decision to step back from international duty before news of his own impending move to Racing 92. But the most notable absence is Antoine Dupont, the prodigiously gifted France scrum-half who is choosing to focus his energy on the Olympic sevens. It won’t be the same without him, but the Six Nations’ loss is undoubtedly the Olympics’ gain.
The Netflix effect?
Numerous marquee players will be absent but, as Andy Bull recently wrote in this newspaper, rugby’s true appeal lies in its emphasis on teamwork. It won’t take many pulsating one-score games decided at the death for the loss of Dupont, Farrell, Rees-Zammit et al to fade into insignificance. If the world’s richest rugby tournament goes down to the closing weekend – perhaps the final match, France v England in Lyon – the sport will emerge with its reputation freshly burnished. Marketing departments will monitor viewing figures and social media impressions for evidence of an uptick after the appearance of Full Contact on Netflix. But anyone hoping that rugby is about to crack America, like F1 after Drive to Survive, is likely to be disappointed.
Italy’s new era
Perhaps the biggest letdown of the World Cup last year was the lack of competitiveness displayed by Italy in a demanding pool featuring the host nation France and New Zealand. Rumours of a rift between the now departed coach Kieran Crowley and his captain Michele Lamaro can be consigned to the past – but Italy must prove they deserve their place in the tournament all over again. The clamour for other up-and-coming teams to get their shot, such as Portugal or Georgia, intensified when Italy rolled over against France and the All Blacks. Can Crowley’s replacement, the former Argentina fly-half Gonzalo Quesada, oversee an upsurge in their fortunes? Organisers may appreciate a strong showing from the Azzurri as justification for their current closed shop.
